Ninth Worker Dies In I-95 Van Crash

19 Employees Were In Vehicle That Rolled Over

Fort Pierce — A grove worker who has been comatose since an April 1 rollover crash on Interstate 95 died early Friday, the ninth man to die from the crash.

His death comes a day after the Highway Patrol released an initial report citing careless driving as a contributing factor in the accident that killed eight other men and injured 10 more.

Crecenciano Escalanate, 35, had been on life support at Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne since the accident.

The accident happened as a 2001 Ford Econoline van was carrying 19 grove workers, employed by Circle H Citrus, home from a grove in Sebastian.

The van was traveling south in the right lane, when crew leader and driver Salvador Leon, 34, moved to the left lane to pass a semitrailer-truck, according to the FHP report. When the van moved into the left lane, Leon lost control of the van, the report states.

It traveled to the left, to the right and back to the left again before moving into the median and flipped four times, ejecting 16 of the 19 men, before resting on its right side in the north lane of traffic, the report states.

Leon was traveling approximately 75 mph in a 70 mph zone, the report states. No vehicle defects or road conditions were cited as factors in the crash.

Leon disputed the report Thursday, and said something was wrong with the van. He said it pulled to one side, and he was not sure if a tire blew out or there was another problem with the van.

FHP is awaiting results of a blood-alcohol level test, said FHP spokesman Lt. Tim Frith. The final report likely will be complete in three months.

Leon, 34, was released from St. Lucie Medical Center in Port St. Lucie on Thursday, according to a hospital spokeswoman. He is in rehabilitation at a clinic, Frith said.

Leon was authorized to drive workers, but his driver's license was suspended in December, Frith said.

His license was suspended because state records showed Leon's insurance was not up to date.

Since 1992, Leon has been cited for a seat-belt violation, cited for speeding three times and was found guilty of driving under the influence, according to driver's license records.

Representatives of Circle H Citrus could not be reached Friday, despite an attempt by phone. The bodies of eight of the men were sent home to Mexico this week at the expense of the company.

Escalanate, the ninth victim, had been in a coma ever since the accident and had not awakened, according to his brother-in-law, Asarias Velazquez, 18.

The Fort Pierce Migrant Workers Memorial Fund has raised more than $100,000 and is now closed. The Diocese of West Palm Beach will be distributing the money, said Greg Wyatt, owner of WJNX, AM 1330 in the Port St. Lucie.

Each of the men's families, including Escalanate's, will receive $10,000. A second fund to help the surviving workers is being started, he said.